Dworshak Reservoir and Implications Toward Minimizing Entrainment
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ER 19 9 6 DWORSHAK DAM IMPACTS ASSESSMENT AND FISHERIES INVESTIGATION Kokanee Depth Distribution in Dworshak Reservoir and Implications Toward Minimizing Entrainment Annual Report 1994 BONNEVILLE This report was funded by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), U.S. Department of Energy, as part of BPA's program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development and operation of hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The views in this report are the author's and do not necessarily represent the views of BPA. DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsi- bility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Refer- ence herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recom- mendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. For additional copies of this report, write to: Bonneville Power Administration Public Information Center - CKPS-1 P.O. Box 3621 Portland, OR 97208 Please include title, author, and DOE/BP number from the back cover in the request. DWORSHAK DAM IMPACTS ASSESSMENT AND FISHERIES INVESTIGATION KOKANEE DEPTH DISTRIBUTION IN DWORSHAK RESERVOIR AND IMPLICATIONS TOWARD MINIMIZING ENTRAINMENT ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT PERIOD COVERED: JANUARY - DECEMBER 1994 Prepared by: Melo A. Maiolie Principal Fisheries Research Biologist and Steve Elam Senior Fisheries Technician Idaho Department of Fish and Game Boise, Idaho 83707 Prepared for: U.S. Department of Energy Bonneville Power Administration Environment, Fish and Wildlife P.O. Box 3621 Portland, OR 97208-3621 IDFG 9621 Project Number 87-99 Contract Number DE-AI79-87BP35167 OCTOBER 1996 DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT fS UNLIMITED DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .. INTRODUCTION STUDY AREA . GOAL OBJECTIVE . METHODS Hydroacoustic Equipment 4 Forebay Surveys 7 Reservoir-Wide Surveys , 7 RESULTS ... 9 Kokanee Depth Distribution . 9 Temperatures 9 Age 0 Kokanee Distribution 13 Water Withdrawal Options 13 DISCUSSION 16 Selective Withdrawal 16 Age 0 Kokanee Distribution 16 CONCLUSIONS 17 RECOMMENDATIONS '. 17 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . 19 LITERATURE CITED ... ^ . 20 CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Dworshak Reservoir and major tributaries, North Fork Clearwater River, Idaho ". 3 Figure 2. Elevation of Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho, 1988 to 1994 .... 5 Figure 3. Discharge from Dworshak Dam, Idaho, 1985 to 1994 6 Figure 4. Hydroacoustic transects used for intensive forebay area surveys of kokanee distribution 8 Figure 5. Nighttime vertical distribution of fish directly in front of Dworshak Dam, October 1993 to December 1994. One hundred percent band shows depth distribution of all fish, 70% and 90% band show distribution of that proportion of the population 10 Figure 6. Daytime vertical distribution of fish directly in front of Dworshak Dam, October 1993 to December 1994. Band shows depth distribution of 70% of the population 11 Figure 7. Isopleths of temperature for the lower end of Dworshak Reservoir, October 1993 to December 1994 12. Figure 8. Number of traces (returned echos) from small fish (-60 to -51 db) throughout the length of Dworshak Reservoir. River kilometer 2 is Dworshak Dam 14 Figure 9. Possible elevation where water could be withdrawn from Dworshakc Reservoir, Idaho 15 CONTENTS LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A. List of echosounder settings used during hydroacoustic surveys of Dworshak Reservoir . 21 Appendix B. Monthly depth distributions of kokanee in front of Dworshak Dam during the day and at night, depth of water withdrawal (cross hatched area), possible depth of water withdrawal (shaded box), amount of discharge at the time of the survey, and temperature profile in the forebay 26 CONTENTS iii ABSTRACT We measured the day and night depth distribution of kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyi directly upstream of Dworsbak Dam from October 1993 to December 1994 using split-beam hydroacoustics. At night most kokanee (70%) were distributed in a diffuse layer about 10 m thick. The depth of the layer varied with the season and ranged from 30 to 40 m deep during winter and from 15 to 25 m deep during summer. Nighttime depth of the kokanee layer during summer roughly corresponded to a zone where water temperatures ranged from 7°C to 12°C. Daytime kokanee distribution was much different with kokanee located in dense schools. Most kokanee (70%) were found in a 5-15 m thick layer during summer. Daytime depth distribution was also shallowest during fall and deepest during winter. Dworshak Dam has structures which can be used for selective water withdrawal and can function in depth ranges that will avoid the kokanee layer. Temperature constraints limit the use of selective withdrawal during the spring, summer, and fall, but in the winter, water is nearly isothermal and the full range of selector gate depths may be utilized. From October 1993 to February 1994, selector gates were positioned to withdraw water from above the kokanee layer. The discharge pattern also changed with more water being released during May and July, and less water being released during fall and winter. A combination of these two changes is thought to have increased kokanee densities to a record high of 69 adults/ha". Authors: Melo A. Maiolie Principal Fisheries Research Biologist Steve Elam Senior Fisheries Technician ANNREP94 •V^- i,', INTRODUCTION Fisheries for kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyi in the Pacific Northwest are very popular (Wydoski and Bennett 1981; Rieman and Myers 1992). Kokanee feed low on the food chain and may reach densities in excess of 150 harvestable- sized fish/ha even in relatively sterile waters (Maiolie et-al. 1991). They also appear to be an ideal fish in fluctuating reservoirs since they rear in the open pelagic zone and some strains spawn in tributary streams away from the potential impacts of water level fluctuations. Kokanee, however, have one potentially serious drawback. In many reservoirs and lakes, kokanee tend to emigrate or become entrained in large numbers. Entrapment losses have been documented at Libby Reservoir in Montana, and Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho (Don Skarr, personal communication, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Maiolie et al. 1993). At Dworshak Reservoir, entrainment losses have been high enough that the river below the dam has been opened to a salvage fishery which allows the netting of dead,and dying fish. Entrainment losses of kokanee, predominately age 1, appeared to be driving the fishery in Dworshak Reservoir. Years with high discharge have been correlated with lower kokanee populations in the reservoir (Maiolie and Elam 1993). In this study we used mobile split-beam hydroacoustics to determine the depth distribution of kokanee in the area upstream of Dworshak Dam, Idaho. Our hope was to use the selector gates and reservoir outlets on Dworshak Dam to withdraw water from depth strata that would avoid concentrations of kokanee thereby reducing losses. We also measured temperatures throughout the water column to determine if selective water withdrawal would conflict with downstream temperature considerations. STUDY AREA Dworshak Dam is located on the North Fork of the Clearwater River 3.2 km upstream from its confluence with the mainstem (Figure 1). The dam is about 5.2 km northeast of Orofino in Clearwater County, Idaho. At 219 m tall, it is the largest straight-axis concrete dam in the United States. Three turbines within the dam have a total operating capacity of 450 megawatts. Water can be discharged from the reservoir through the turbines, spill gates, or reservoir outlets on the spillway. ANNREP94 kllomatars from confluanca llmnologicil sampling •tatlon Olekt Cr Dworshak Reservoir Figure 1. Dwdrshak Reservoir and major tributaries, North Fork Clearwater River, Idaho. Dworshak Reservoir is 86.2 km long and has,295 km of mostly steep shoreline. Maximum depth is 194 m with a corresponding volume of 4.28 billion m3 at full pool. Surface area when full is 6,644 ha and mean depth is 56 m. It contains about 5,400 ha of kokanee habitat (defined as the area over 15.2 m deep) depending on pool elevation. Mean annual outflow is 162 m3/s. The reservoir has a mean retention time of 10.2 months. Retention time is variable depending on precipitation and has ranged from 22 months in 1973 to 6 months during 1974 (Falter 1982). Drawdowns of 47 m reduce surface area as much as 52% (3,663 ha). Dworshak Reservoir initially reached full pool on July 3, 1973. The magnitude and timing of Dworshak Reservoir drawdown changes annually depending on the need for flood control or power production. During the summer of 1994, the pool elevation dropped markedly between May and August as water was released to augment summertime flows in the lower Clearwater and Snake rivers (Figures 2 and 3). The reservoir was then held stable throughout the fall and winter. GOAL To maximize the sport fishery potential of Dworshak Reservoir. OBJECTIVE To reduce the entrainment losses of kokanee so that densities of 30 to 50 adult kokanee/ha can be maintained on an annual basis. METHODS Hvdroacoustic Equipment We used a Simrad EY500 split-beam scientific echosounder with a 120 kHz transducer to document the depth distribution of kokanee upstream of Dworshak Dam. Echograms collected in the field were later analyzed using Simrad EP500 software, versjons 4.0 and 4.5.